Cheri Kiesecker August 5, 2016 at Missouri Education Watchdog

Astonishing amounts of student and family data are being collected and stored online by schools and this data is also shared. Sharing your child’s personal information outside of the school should be your decision, students should be able to control their own data, but alas, they can not. As the National Education Policy Center, NEPC, reported in their latest annual report, students are Learning to Be Watched: it’s a Surveillance Culture at School.
Here are some things you can do:

INFORM

Let the school know you are concerned about data privacy. Don’t be afraid to ASK questions and advocate for your child and don’t settle for someone telling you they don’t collect data and don’t share data outside of the school. Not all teachers or principals will know all the ways that data is collected. Be patient; educate, don’t blame . Inform others that: all online programs collect data and can use algorithms to predict and profile children. Anything in a student’s education record, including IEP information, health records can be shared, anything in the state longitudinal data system, SLDS, (found in every state) can also be shared. Because of a 2011 change to a long standing federal law, FERPA , your child’s data can be collected and shared without your consent. Many now realize that student data collection is out of control and soon to be even more so with the advent of student data badges and hidden online competency based education, tests, and data collection. Be aware, don’t blindly sign away personal information that could be used to PREDICT or PROFILE your child; their data foot print can affect their future jobs, insurance, and chances at college.
ASK: SHOW ME THE DATA

The law states that education agencies (schools, districts, state ed departments) must keep logs of who has requested to see your student’s personally identifiable information (pii) and they must provide that information to parents. We wrote about this  existing code requiring education providers to keep very detailed records of data requests and disclosures and they must provide that information to parents. Use this template letter , send it to each education provider to see who has been given access to your child’s pii.   Under FERPA, you also have the right to inspect your child’s data in the SLDS and school education record to make sure it is accurate, at no cost to you.

OPT OUT  and REFUSE State Mandated Standardized Tests

Check your state to see if you have adopted a law allowing students and parents to opt out of the end of year High Stakes Tests like PARCC, SAGE, SBAC, without retribution or threats.  Even if you do not have an ” opt out law” , you CAN refuse the test for your child, simply submit a refusal for the test(s), in writing. Check local websites/Facebook pages for opt out information and sample template refusal letters. Keep in mind, that these big end of year tests are being replaced with sneaky, hidden year round online tests, that automatically collect data: often referred to as Competency Based Ed (CBE) and Personalized ed.  See more about the push for CBE,  and online personalized education at the US Department of Education website.  Also see the USDoE  blog about keeping kids engaged on a screen via next-generation web- and app-based assessments,  games that measure knowledge and performance in real time.

Read the FULL ARTICLE that contains more valuable information that you should know. Images are from Missouri Education Watchdog.